The subject invention generally relates to retail systems and, more particularly, relates to a system and method for collecting data points from a customer and for using the collected data points to provide a customer with customer specific product and/or service offerings, customer relevant information, and the like.
Various systems and methods for collecting data points from a customer and/or for providing customer specific incentives are generally known in the art.
By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,917,386 describes a system and method for distributing, generating, and redeeming incentives, e.g., coupons, rebates, gift certificates or the like, which may be used in conjunction with a rewards card, e.g., a frequent shopper card. The incentives are distributed electronically, for example, in the form of a diskette or CD-ROM software. Once the software is validated, a consumer may print out a list of selected incentives displayed on a Graphical User Interface (GUI). When a product is purchased, the UPC code of the product may be compared electronically with a list of incentives authorized for a particular consumer. An appropriate coupon discount may then be applied and the incentive may be considered “redeemed.” Once redeemed, consumer ID information and incentive information may be retrieved electronically and used to update a central database. Accurate data may then be produced illustrating which consumers or groups of consumers are redeeming which incentives.
U.S. Published Application No. 2011/0029368 describes a system for handling electronic coupons which accesses information indicating association of an electronic coupon with an account of a user that identifies multiple retail entities associated with the user. Information indicating association of electronic coupons with the user's account may be transmitted to respective computer systems associated with the multiple retail entities. The computer systems may associate electronic coupons with the user such that the user may redeem the electronic coupons at a retail store upon presentation of a user identifier. When the user redeems an electronic coupon, cancellation information for the electronic coupon may be transmitted to the computer systems of other retail entities associated with the user. Receipt of the cancellation information may cause the respective computer systems to cancel the redeemability of the electronic coupon such that the user is prevented from redeeming the electronic coupon at a retail store associated with the corresponding retail entity.
U.S. Published Application No. 2005/0222906 describes a method for providing at least one targeted local marketing program and for measuring the effectiveness of the at least one targeted local marketing program. The method includes generating at least one targeted message in accordance with instructions of at least one retailer, forwarding the at least one targeted message to a plurality of select customers, and monitoring responses from the plurality of select customers via an identification methodology. The monitoring allows for a determination of the effectiveness of the at least one marketing program, where the targeted messages attract customers to retailers by targeting the plurality of select customers with incentives.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,912,505 describes methods for monitoring user browsing activities that indicate user interests in particular products or other items, and for using such information to identify items that are related to one another. Relationships between products within an online catalog are determined by identifying products that are frequently viewed by users within the same browsing session (e.g., products A and B are related because a significant portion of those who viewed A also viewed B). The resulting item relatedness data is preferably stored in a table that maps items to sets of related items. The table may be used to provide personalized product recommendations to users, and/or to supplement product detail pages with lists of related products. The table is used to provide session-specific product recommendations to users that are based on the products viewed by the user during the current browsing session.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,174,312 describes a user-personalized product sampling, recommendation and purchasing system that uses customer identification numbers and associated customer profile data to tailor specific product recommendations to a customer at a content sampling station of a retail location. The customer also can use her customer profile to receive the same information from an Internet website of the merchant. In-store sampling stations also may have the capability of checking store inventory and central warehouse inventory and providing recommendations to the customer in accordance with product availability, and optionally may provide the customer with the ability to place product orders directly through the sampling station. The recommendation system also can be used to tailor product recommendations in accordance with a rule-based model and real-time inventory data from a point-of-sale (POS) database.
U.S. Published Application No. 2004/0177003 describes a system for distributing adaptive electronic coupons to a user. Electronic coupon metadata automatically changes redemption characteristics of a coupon based upon predetermined conditions relating to personal data of the user and a redemption environment. A redemption system honors the adaptive electronic coupon at a time and place of redemption based on the predetermined conditions relating to the personal data of the user and the redemption environment.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,484,146, 7,024,374, and 7,398,348 describe systems for presenting customized special offers to customers, the special offers including targeted offers to a customer selected from a plurality of customers, and for collecting purchasing behavior information concerning the customers which utilize customer cards having machine readable card information indicating at least identification of the card with a particular customer account.
While the systems and method described in these references (which references are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety) generally work for their intended purpose, the invention described hereinafter provides much needed improvements thereto.